Articles
Whether we like it or not, the facts don’t count
First impressions are the last thing a company wants to forget
by John GrahamIt’s all about first impressions––both making them and
responding to them. In critical situations, everyone’s antennas are
up, super sensitive to even the most inconsequential signal. We seem convinced
that almost everything rides on making a correct first impression: “Did
we put our best foot forward?” “The first meeting is always pivotal.
How did we do?” “What can we do to make it more impressive?”
Why all the concern with first impressions? Why do we believe that the first
contact makes a difference? Is it true that no one gets a second chance at making
a first impression or is that just popular business lore?
In some ways, it is difficult to understand why we place so much importance on
first impressions. It isn’t only making them that gets our attention, of
course. It’s reading them, as well. Armed with extremely limited information,
we often come to conclusions that are instantly indelible. If we know such
conclusions may be questionable, why do we persist in making snap judgments that
are virtually impossible to change?
The answer is simple. First impressions work. They reduce anxiety and
allow us to move through the day with less stress. Walk into an auto dealership
to look at a car and you are immediately turned off by a ‘pushy’
salesperson. How often do we hear someone say, “From the very moment
I met her, I knew…?” Or, “They didn’t have us fooled
for a minute. As soon as they opened their mouths, we could tell….”
Making judgments on such limited knowledge may seem difficult to defend. Yet,
studies support the extensive influence of first impressions. Consider, for example,
one research project. Conducted by Jennifer Humble and Dr. Barbara Bremer, the
objective was to evaluate the extent that dress and physical appearance affect
the quality of social interactions.
Using a retail store setting, the researchers discovered that the sociability
of the clerks was significantly higher when interacting with a well-dressed actor
than when interacting with a poorly dressed one. Other studies suggest that facial
expression, gestures, glasses, personal coloring, garment style, and make up
can play a key role in impression formation. As Humble and Bremer conclude, “Individuals
tend to make intrinsic judgments about a person based on external cues.”
What is true about first impressions of individuals may be equally significant
for companies. Businesses select street and building addresses for company offices
because they send “the right message”––they are believed
to make the right impression.
Even though we acknowledge the role a first impression can play in making a sale,
signing on a new client, or walking away with an order, we often
“come up blank” when it comes to other issues. A few questions
may make the point:
• We are often satisfied with a one or two color brochure, even though
full color is known to attract far more attention.
• Why do we use “Dear Valued Customer”
on letters even though a personalized letter receives more attention?
• Why do we persist in using “cold calling” even though we
are personally turned off when we receive such calls ourselves?
• What is the impact of a logo designed by an amateur or one that is 30
years old? What type of impression does each make?
•
What is the subtle effect of using a heavier weight paper stock for letterhead
versus a thin but far less expensive paper?
• What impression do customers have when a company responds to requests
immediately instead of weeks or days later?
• What is the impact of a projected presentation that is typed with black
letters on a white background verses one that has been professionally designed
and the presentation made with a PowerPoint-type program?
• How does image advertising influence the perception of customers and
prospects?
• What effect does a newsletter that looks like an “ad” and
contains self-serving material have on readers?
• How effective is a Web site in attracting customers when every page is
company-focused versus one that provides visitors with helpful information?
• How do we feel about a fast food restaurant when we are forced to wait
in line to get an order? Or the supermarket that opens more lines to accommodate
the flow of customers?
• What impression does a company make when it delivers orders quicker than
promised?
Clearly, business is about impressions. The psychological literature is filled
with examples of studies verifying that misjudgments result from incomplete
or misleading information. In one such study, for example, a group was asked
to memorize a list of words that included terms of praise, while another group
was asked to memorize a list that included scornful terms.
Then, both groups undertook an ostensibly different task in which they read an
ambiguous news story about a young man. When questioned, the first group was
much more positive about the young man than were those in the second group, presumably
because the positive words they had just memorized came to mind and vice versa.
There are implications in this that can be serious for a business. On the one
hand, taking steps to shape and protect customers, vendors, stockholders, and
the public’s perceptions can be positive and beneficial as a company like
Nordstrom’s knows so well. Even those who have never shopped at a Nordstrom’s
store have a positive impression of the company. The story is quite different
for a Firestone.
Here are just a few ideas that may help make a difference in the way a company
actively fosters appropriate, positive impressions:
1. Be painfully clear about how you want your company
to be perceived. What impression do you want to make? A good example
is United Parcel Service. No matter how bad the weather, UPS trucks are
clean and the drivers are always neatly uniformed no matter how hard they
have been working. UPS knows that the way it looks on the street and at
the door influences how customers rate its service. But it all starts with
a precise description of how you want your company or product to be perceived.
2. Take every positive and negative message seriously. What
do customers like––and what do you dislike? If there
are disconnects between what you say and how you perform, someone is getting
a confused message––and that means the wrong impression. Negative
messages should never be ignored, even though they may be way off base.
What’s behind the misconception? How did it happen? And what can
be done to change it?
3. Be clear in your understanding of what the customer
is thinking. Although it’s not easy, it’s necessary. An
insider’s perspective is out of the question when it comes to impressions.
For example, what’s the message of the company logo? It might be
worthwhile holding a focus group and asking customers what they think when
they see it. Many banks still picture themselves in terms of “strong,
solid buildings.”
Is this the impression a bank wants to make today? Also, ask them what
they think about when they think of your company or product.
4. Capitalize on every uniqueness. How does your
company, service, or product differ from the competition? What are you
doing that they aren’t? These don’t need to be major differences
to make a difference in the mind of the customer. A drycleaner with 40
stores emphasizes what the company calls “Ready-Today” service
instead of the common “Same-Day” day service. By making a somewhat
common service distinctive, it has made a difference. These become impressions
that influence how customers “see” a company.
Acting as if impressions are unimportant is never an answer. The demise of Montgomery
Wards is a good example of what happens to a company that made no impression
on the customer. Wards failed to give customers a reason to go to their stores.
As a result, customers no longer thought of most Wards’ stores as buying
destinations. On the other hand, Kohl’s stores have found a niche in the
highly competitive “department store”
market by combining name brand merchandise with discounted pricing, and
they have attracted consumers using this merchandising strategy. They crafted
the right impression.
There are other impressions, too. Firestone’s failure to respond quickly
to the tire crisis created the impression that the company didn’t care
or was stonewalling the issue. Even when the company came forward with its commitment
to make good on every tire, the initial impression may have caused the public
to doubt the company’s sincerity––and, more importantly, to
question the quality of the company’s other products.
Perhaps Amazon.com is enjoying the biggest payoff for making the right impression
on customers. Although the value of its stock has suffered during the demise
of the dotcoms, the company’s reputation remains undiminished. It stands
out in the dotcom pack as a result of the quality of its customer service and
relentless public relations efforts.
But there are other companies, too, that understand the value of making the right
impression. W.B. Mason, a large office supply dealer in the Northeast, continually
strives to make an impression that places it ahead of the competition. Their
deliveries, for example, are so fast they seem to be in real time! Place an order
and it’s at your office in a few hours. That speed sends a powerful, indelible
message: this company has its act together. No sales literature is needed
because the impression tells it all.
The right first impressions are the last thing a company wants to forget.
John R. Graham is president of Graham Communications, a marketing services and sales consulting firm. He is the author of The New Magnet Marketing and Break the Rules Selling, writes for a variety of business publications, and speaks on business, marketing and sales issues. Contact him at 40 Oval Road, Quincy, MA 02170; 617-328-0069; jgraham@grahamcomm.com.